The finalists are Karyle Green, superintendent of East Allen County Schools in Indiana; Julie Hannah, director of student learning for the Alabama Department of Education; Stephen Nowlin, superintendent of Lee County schools; Alan Dale Robbins, recently retired as associate superintendent of teaching and learning support in Gwinnett County, Ga., public schools; and Brett Stanton, superintendent of Haralson County, Ga., schools.

Board members set the following schedule for interviews:

Sept. 17 the board will interview Nowlin

Sept. 19 the board will interview Robbins

Sept. 20 the board will interview Hannah

Sept. 21 the board will interview Green

Sept. 26 the board will interview Stanton

Board President Jennifer Parsons told the board she made contact with each of the finalists last week to check their schedules for the interviews, and the only one who had an issue was Stanton. Parsons said Stanton had a conflict the day he is to be interviewed, Sept. 26. She said she asked him if he could make it work any other day that week or the prior week, and he said no.

"The earliest he said he can be available is Oct. 1," she told board members. That is the week the board hopes to make a final selection.

"I can't imagine that anyone who is interested in the job can't work something out in a two-week time frame," said Board member Ronald Rhodes.

Other board members agreed, and said they preferred to stick to the agreed upon scheduled.

Parsons said she would talk to Stanton about fitting him into the schedule before the week of Oct. 1. If not, the board likely will not interview him.

The interviews, which are open to the public, are tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. followed by a less formal meet-and-greet with the public.

The board launched its superintendent search in June and hopes to have a new superintendent in place Jan. 2 to replace current Superintendent Phil Hammonds, who is retiring when his contract expires in February 2013.